Dancer and Instructor
by How I Operate
Summary: As young Nina's feelings for Thomas Leroy grows, Thomas fears he may be developing feelings for her as well. Despite the threats from her fellow dancers, Nina strives to become perfect in Thomas's eyes, thus, she hopes, seducing her beloved prince at last
1. Chapter 1

She closed her eyes. Her face was calm but her chest said otherwise, her lungs pushing and pulling violently at her chest.

"My little princess," I whispered, then let her go.

Immediately she backed out of my arms, her eyes snapping open. Her eyes bled tears of black makeup, the lines running down her pale, pale cheeks.

"Would the White Swan not do anything to stop the jealous Black Swan? Hm?" I asked sharply. "Would she just let it take over? Let it ruin her?"

She looked away, her lips trembling.

"When you are the White Swan, you must fight for what is yours. Don't you see?" I stepped up close to her once more, my hands clasping each of her wrists.

We both looked down at our hands. The warmth from her skin rippled up my arms and down my back.

"Love," I said after a moment. I looked up into her eyes. "Love is what holds the White Swan together. Without it, her desire to live will flee from her soul like roaches from the light."

She returned my gaze steadily, her eyes red and moist.

I raised her arms, holding one above my head. Slowly, automatically, she followed my lead and twirled under my hand, her soft ballet shoes tip-tapping after her.

A smile spread across my lips.

I slung out my arm and she twirled after it. An instant later, we were dancing.

...

The man at the piano played the song over and over. I knew it by heart.

I could feel the music rising inside of me as the tempo grew stronger and the magificant Black Swan pranced tauntingly just out of my reach.

"You want what is not yours!" I shouted, standing up from the benches. "It is not love that you desire, but revenge! Revenge for what you never had, revenge for all the times you were rejected! Seduce the prince and claim him as your own!"

My eyes darted back and forth, taking in the glory of her dance, feeling passion and desire flare to life. All watching eyes fell under her spell.

The man who danced with her spun her and lifted her and twirled her as though he was the one controlling her, but it was the other way around. She had him. _She had him_.

...

"How- how was it?" She asked breathlessly, sweat dotting along her forehead.

"Much, much better. Very good job, Nina," I smiled and handed her a rag.

She wiped her face and mouth. As she did so, I took another rag and gently smoothed it over her thin shoulder blades and across her chest.

She recoiled from me, stepping back and clutching the rag to her chest.

"Thomas," She whimpered, her voice shaking. Her eyes wide. Her body covered in goose-bumps.

I sighed and wiped my chin with my fingertips. I looked around the room. The only people in the room were me and her, and the endless reflections of ourselves in the mirrored wall. I stared at my own reflection for a few moments until she turned around, alarmed. Seeing just the mirror, she turned back to me with unease.

"Come," I spread out my arm. "Let us get away from here for a while, hm? You could use a bit of fresh air."

She hesitated only for a moment before stepping up into my arms. I wrapped my arm around her quivering shoulders and we walked to the doors in silence.

...

Something about her drew me in. As if I were the prince, and she my princess.

...

She got in my car and we left the theatre. She said nothing as we drove except a quiet mumble about her mother waiting for her at home.

I took her to an expensive Italian resturant and we got a table right away. She seemed unsure of herself outside of the theatre. As if she didn't know what she was supposed to do.

To make conversation, I asked, "Have you eaten here before, Nina?"

She looked up at me with wide, innocent eyes. "No," She answered softly.

I stared at her for a long time in silence before asking, "Have you eaten at all today?"

When her lips trembled and she avoided my eyes, I sighed, looking around the resturant. "You dancers are all the same, thinking you must starve yourself to stay thin."

She said nothing.

I slid my chair closer to the table then leaned across it, taking her hands.

"Nina,"

She raised her eyes.

"You are a beautiful swan," I told her gently. "You do not need to worry about your appearance," I raised her boney hand to my mouth and kissed it firmly.

I felt her shiver, so I let her go. She put her hands in her lap, looking down.

"Are you two ready to order, or do you need a minute?" The waiter asked, appearing at our table.

"Yes, two garlic lobster pastas, and a bottle of your finest Champagne," I told him, handing him the menus.

"Thank you. I'll be back shortly with your Champagne." He walked away.

I watched him for a moment before turning back to Nina.

"Do you like lobster?" I asked.

She shrugged, her thin shoulder blades pulling at her skin. "I've never had it before."

"Never?" I smiled. "It is quite good. It's very juicy and sweet, much like you."

She blushed and drank some water to hide it.

I glanced around the resturant before sliding even closer to the table. "Did you take my advice the other day?" I asked in a low voice.

A terrified expression flickered across her face.

"It's okay," I said. "There is nothing to be ashamed of."

I reached my hand under the table, finding her knee. I rubbed her leg gently.

"Relaxation is key..." I whispered as she trembled under my touch. "To a good performance..." My hand travled to the inside of her thigh, and I felt her muscles spasm. Suddenly she grabbed my hand and shoved it away.

I looked up into her eyes, seeing the fear. I sat back in my chair.

We stared at each other in silence, my eyes playful and taunting, her eyes fearful and nervous.

She flinched as the cork was pulled from the champagne bottle. "Here we are," The waiter announced, pouring the bubbly liquid gold into our glasses.

"Leave the bottle, please," I told the waiter. He nodded and walked away. I picked up my glass.

"To dancing," I raised my glass.

She raised her own, and we clinked them lightly together.

I took a small sip of the champagne, relishing the burning rush of bubbles against my tongue, and shuddering under the cold fire of alchohal as it traveled to my stomach. I sighed happily and set down my glass.

Nina put hers down without taking a drink.

I looked away as if I hadn't noticed. It was going to take quite some time to removed the stiffness from that dead bird.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning she showed up early for rehearsal. I was not surprised, though something changed in me whenever I saw her coming in through those doors. My heart would flutter in my chest and my neck would prickle with sweat, my body raging with fire.

But she would go on to her dance routine, only stopping when she miss-stepped or saw me shake my head. Then she would abandon the prince and walk towards me, seeking my counsel. I would tell her nothing except to let go, and to lose herself.

If only I had known how far she would take my instructions.

...

Later she was in her dressing room changing into the Black Swan, so she could get used to the costume and how it felt to move with it.

I wanted to see her, though I wasn't sure why. I just had this strong desire to go visit her.

So I did.

Knocking lightly on her dressing room door, I stood patiently waiting, ignoring the hushed whisperings of the other ballerinas who lurked in the hallways.

The door opened, and my beautiful swan greeted me with black-rimmed eyes.

"Thomas," she said with surprise.

"Hi, I just wanted to see how you were doing," I said somewhat hesitantly.

Her eyes glistened, the whites of her eyes tinted with pink. She opened her mouth to speak, but someone in the hall said something funny, and everyone started laughing. Suddenly I turned around to the gawking witnesses.

"Don't you have practicing to do or something?" I demanded shortly.

Gradually the ballerinas and assisitants drifted away.

I turned back to Nina.

"So... how are you?" I asked.

She looked down. "I'm good,"

I leaned in close to her, my lips inches away from her forehead. "You do not have to lie to me," I said softly. "We promised no boundaries between us, remember?"

"I'm not lying," she slid back a step, into her dressing room. "Can I please finish getting ready, now?"

"Of course," I straightened up, giving her a short smile. "Yes. I will be in the rehearsal room when you are ready."

I turned and walked away, down the empty hallway, with the closing door echoing after me.

...

"You are not a giraffe! Do not be so stiff. Swans have grace and beauty- show it to me! Let go of yourself and transform into the Black Swan!"

"I'm trying!" She wailed back, stumbling over her own feet. David, the man dancing with her, caught her and kept her from falling. The man at the piano abruptly stopped playing.

"Are you all right?" He asked.

"Nina!" I interupted loudly.

She pushed away from him and walked up to me, her tearful eyes big and red.

"Yes-?"

"David, guys, will you excuse us, please?" I moved past her and waved at everyone else to leave.

David shook his head, sighing. He grabbed his bag from under the bar and slung it over his shoulder. He followed the others out of the double doors in the back of the studio.

"Thomas, I'm sorry, I-"

"Why do you not do what you're told?" I asked sharply, turning around to face her.

"Ex...excuse me?" She twisted her fingers together nervously.

"You follow all the steps perfectly, you have each note of music written into your heart. You know how to dance, but you do not know how to listen."

She took a shaking step towards me. "Could...could you explain that? If you think I need more instruction, then, please, teach me. I-"

"Again, you fail to hear me correctly," I sighed heavily and scrubbed my face with my hands.

She closed her eyes, hanging her head as tears dripped from her nose and chin.

"Nina," I said more gently, appearing in front of her. "Why can you not trust me? Why can you not let go? What is it your are holding on to?"

I looked at her hands, shaking uncontrollably at her sides, streaked with black paint. I took her hands in mine and kissed them one by one.

Our eyes met, and she held my gaze.

"You can do this, Nina," I told her. "You are so much better than you think you are. Do not be so hard on yourself. You are doing it perfectly in sync with the music... all you have to do is let the music sync itself in you." I smiled reasuringly. "Trust me, my little princess,"

With my eyes, I traced her face down to her throat, then all the way down to her feet. "All you have to do is..." My voice trailed off as I noticed her feet.

"Nina," I looked up in alarm. "What happened?"

She looked down, horror flicking into her expression.

Her ballet shoes were soaked with blood.

...

"It's nothing, I'm fine, really!" She tried to tell me, sitting on the bench. I ignored her and continued untying the ribbons.

"Nina, these sort of things cannot be ignored. Such injuries can easily become infected!" Worry threatened to overwhelm me. How long had she been bleeding? Did she step on something? Did she break her toes?

"It's not an injury!" She protected. "My nails just break easily, is all." She shoved her hand in my face. "See?"

I glanced at her trembling hand, seeing nothing but the smudged paint. I swatted it away.

"Please, Nina, just let me take care of this." I untied her first slipper and carefully, gently, slid it off of her foot.

She sucked in her breath.

My stomach plunged into icy waters as I saw her cracked, bleeding toes through the mesh-like sock.

I stared up into her eyes, and she grasped onto the sides of the bench, her wet eyes hard and understanding.

I wiped my eyes suddenly, feeling itchy wetness. Blinking, I leaned back over her foot, and, cradling it in my lap, I slowly, slowly, began easing the sticky sock off of her foot.

She let out small gasps of pain as I did so, and I just whispered "Shhh, shhhh, it'll be all right, it's all right," over and over.

When I took the shoe off of her other foot, her thin hand clasped down onto my shoulder, her fingers driving into my shoulder blade like teeth.

I knew she was in pain. All I could do was tell her it would be all right, and that it was almost over.


	3. Chapter 3

"I know you have it in you. I've seen it,"

I held her up against my chest, her breathing matching my own. Her arms wound around my back, her hands slipping into my hair.

"That's it," I whispered, leaning my head into the soft curve of her neck.

She moaned softly as my lips pressed into her warm skin, her hands gripping into the back of my shirt.

I moved my hands slowly down her sides, feeling her fraility in every curve. Her hips stuck out of her body like knives. My hands found her bottom, and I squeezed it lightly, pulling her hips into mine.

"Let it go," I cooed.

She gasped and tried to push away from me, but I threw my arms around her back, and, forcing her even closer, I crushed my lips against hers.

She struggled for only a moment before giving in to my efforts. Her hands slipped back around me, feeling me, holding me.

Our lips explored each other, hot and wet and full of passion. Her lips parted, inviting me in. I slid my tongue her mouth, tasting, enjoying her sweetness. Both of us panting, sweating, lost in our fiery surge of desire. Her fingers flexed around wads of my hair as my hands rubbed up and down her spine.

"Holy shit!" Someone exclaimed.

Nina shoved violently away from me and whirled around, panic written all over her face.

"Lily," I wiped my mouth, feeling the stickiness of Nina's lipstick, my heart racing.

Lily stood in the hallway of the rehearsal room, her eyes narrow, a smirk twitching at the corners of her mouth.

"I didn't see_ anything_," she chuckled, turning around.

I looked at Nina. She was paler than ever before.

"I'm...I'm finished. I'm never going to be able to dance ever again..." She muttered helplessly, her eyes wide as coffee mugs.

"Nina," I stepped towards her. "Don't-"

"Oh, and you guys might want to wrap it up!" Lily called back. "It's almost time for rehearsal. But I guess you two won't need to warm up, will you?"

Her laughter echoed back to us, filling the room. A warm, tingling feeling came over me when I heard Lily's laugh. I shuddered involentarily and shook my head.

"Nina," I began again.

"I'm sorry, Thomas. I've ruined everything. I'm just a whore, just like Beth said..."

"Hey!" I clapped to get her attention, stepping in front of her. "Look at me!"

She raised her swollen, red-rimmed eyes to my clear blue ones.

"Do not say that," I cupped her face in my hands gently. "Forget Beth. You are not a whore. You are a beautiful, amazing,_ perfect _swan. You are my little princess."

She turned her head away, so I dropped my hands.

"Nothing is going to change because of Lily," I said firmly. "I will make sure nothing gets out. Okay?"

Nina wouldn't look at me. She nodded quietly before going over to the bar, grabbing her bag, and walking away down the hallway.

I sighed and went and stood before the mirror. Violent streaks of red were smudged all over my face. I wiped it off of my cheek with my thumb, then stared at my thumb. Though I knew it was only lipstick, I couldn't help but picture it as blood.

...

Sometimes things happen that you cannot control. The only way to get past it is to let it all go.

...

Nina seemed much colder to me than ever before. No longer was she the eagar, willing student. She had become like Beth. Cold, resolute, unfeeling. I knew she just wanted to seem like she was not interested in me so no one would suspect anything, but I still found myself deeply troubled.

Just watching her dance with David, seeing her studied indifference, the way she just flowed into every step with grace and ease... she was beautiful.

My stomach would clinch into knots whenever she looked at me, but she never once misstepped or asked how she was doing. She just... danced.

It was almost like she was teasing me. Seducing me. And I, instead of damanding her to do better, sat quietly, and let her.

...

Lily noticed Nina's change, and therefore she tried to take advantage of the situation by involving herself more and more in the Swan Queen's dance routine.

While Nina danced with David to the endless song of the piano, Lily, who had made a habit of sitting next to me whenever I sat down, would jump up and dance the same routine.

Nina ignored her completely, even as Lily bounced and laughed and brought the Black Swan the passion and excitement had always been searching for in Nina. Lily danced so effortlessly, so freely, while Nina remained... frigid. Robotic. Lifeless.

I began to doubt my choice in the Swan Queen.

...

As the days went by, Nina's eyes grew redder and redder, and the dark circles under her eyes took more and more makeup to cover up. Her dancing began to dwindle, her legs moved and jerked like wet noodles. Uncoordinated and reckless. So unlike her.

Lily's smirk gradually grew into a smile. Her eyes slowly narrowed into slits. She watched Nina's change and relished every second of it.

...

I took Lily aside one afternoon while Nina follwed my orders and warmed up in the rehearsal room.

"What's up?" Lily asked, her hands on her hips.

"You have told others about what you saw?" I asked.

"What are you talking about?" She scoffed. "I haven't seen a thing."

"Damn it, be serious for once," I hissed, slapping my palm into the wall beside her.

The smile dropped from her lips, turning them into a scowl. She crossed her arms.

"Are you threatening Nina? Telling her you will tell others she kissed me?" I demanded.

"No," she answered shortly. "I'm not_ doing _anything, okay?" She looked over her shoulder, back towards the rehearsal room, as music began to play.

She turned to me. "I should get back now, don't you think?" Lily tossed her long brown hair in my face, and walked away.

I shook my head, sighing. Suddenly an idea came over me.

"Lily!" I called.

She poked her head back down the hallway.

"You tell anyone about this and you are out of Swan Lake, do you understand?"

She hesitated for only an instant.

"_Whaaaat_ever." She vanished around the corner.

I stood alone in the hallway for awhile, listening to the heart-beat of ballet shoes on the wood floor, feeling the piano notes rise and fall, like waves in the ocean.

...

I stood there until I could bear it no longer, then I went and watched my Nina dance. Watched my little princess.


	4. Chapter 4

One evening the dancers were packing their things to leave, and I asked Nina to stay behind.

The look she gave me was that of a rabbit caught in a snare.

Terrified.

Yet, she stayed. And once everyone else had gone, I went up to her and took her by the shoulders.

"Look at me, Nina," I ordered when she averted my gaze. Slowly, she raised her eyes to mine. I slid my hands down her shoulders and held her gently by the arms. "Why do you fear me?" I asked softly, pain lacing my voice.

"I am not afraid of you," she whispered.

I could not understand her.

"I'm sorry, what?" I strained my ears, leaning a bit closer to her.

"I said I'm not afraid of you!" She yelled suddenly, slapping my hands away and backing up quickly. The anger burning in her eyes shattered into panic as she backed up into the mirror. She grasped onto the bar, pressing her back into her cold reflection. Though she stood stiff as a statue, I could see her knees shaking.

"Nina," I held out my hand, stepping towards her.

"Stay! Back!" She raised her hands into fists, and they trembled by her face.

I felt my body slump as disbelief flooded into my mind.

"What is wrong, Nina?" I asked. I licked my lips, glancing around the studio. "Tell me, if it is not fear in your eyes, what is it? Because I do not recognize such an expression. Especially not on your face."

"Shut your fucking mouth!" She screamed, banging her fists into her knees.

She only stopped me for a second.

"Such anger, Nina, such hatred. Perhaps you are turning into the Black Swan a little too much?" I took a step forward, spreading out my arms. "But who is she jealous of? Who is she fooling?"

Her eyes darted back and forth, red, blood-shot, and full of tears. Her mouth hung open in her speechlessness.

I dropped my arms to my sides.

"Only herself," I decided.

She looked away.

"I do not understand why you are hurting yourself this way, Nina, but if you tell me, maybe we can work it out together, hm? Help you get back on track?" I offered lightly.

"I don't need anyone's help," she hissed darkly.

"Let me take you back to my place," I tried again. "We can have a drink or two, maybe some dinner. It may help you rela-"

"I'm not your bitch, so quit trying to fuck me!" She shouted venomously.

Suddenly was inches away from me, and I found myself gazing into those deeply lost eyes. My hands twitched at my sides, wanting to hold her, yet unable to move. Her face burned red, her eyes oozing with sorrow, and without warning she hit me across the cheek.

My head snapped to the side, burning and pulsing instantly where she'd struck me.

I blinked a couple times, disoriented, seeing my reflection standing so foolishly frozen. I snapped out of it and looked around. Nina was gone.

...

She did not come to rehearsal the next day, or even the day after.

Lily showed up earlier every day, praticing and dancing the Swan Queen's routine until she had all but perfected it.

I had to tell myself to stop being so judgemental. To stop thinking of Nina as a lover. She was just another student. And I was just her teacher. Same with Lily. Same with Beth.

As opening night drew closer, I had no choice but to announce Lily as Nina's alternate.

...

I became less attracted to the rehearsal room as Nina continued to be absent. I let David and Lily have at it alone, knowing that by now they must have had the routine memorized.

I stayed in my office most of the days. Though my office was rather boring and cold, it also brought back warm memories... Memories of when a young girl came and asked, ever so politely, to be the Swan Queen.

I sat in my office chair and stared at my phone. My phone hardly ever rang. And I knew with almost 100% certainty that Nina did not have my office number, yet... I could not keep myself from waiting. Hoping.

...

One afternoon a knock on my office door startled me into awareness. As I raised my head from my desk, I realized I had been alseep. Vaguely, as I stood up to answer the door, I wondered how long I had been alseep.

"Yes?" I said as I opened the door.

"Sorry to bother you, Mr Leroy."

I stared at the face in front of me for a few dead-silent seconds, seeing Nina, yet hearing a different voice.

"Hello?" She waved her hand in my face.

I blinked and frowned as the scales dropped from my eyes. "Lily." I said without much enthusiasm. "What do you what?"

"Boy, you're cheerful," she snorted.

I narrowed my eyes at her.

"_Oooo_kay, well, I was just stopping by to see if you needed anything..." As she ran her fingertips down her sides, I became aware of how she was dressed.

She stood before me in a black, lacy, sleeveless dress barely long enough to cover her ass, and see-thru enough for me to notice her bright red bra and panties. I glanced down and saw her shiny leather boots, black as midnight and as high as her knees.

Her face was smooth and flawlessly covered in makeup, her red lips thick and desirable. Her light, whispy hair cascaded freely over her thin shoulders.

The breath caught in my throat as she batted her long, black eyelashed as me.

"No." I said at last. "thankyou," I started to shut the door.

"Oh, come _on_, Mr Leroy!" She whined, stopping the door with her boot. "You've been shut up in your office for _days_." She pushed the door back open and stood in the doorway, leaning sensually up against the frame. "Aren't you lonely?" She smiled sinfully, licking her lips with the very tip of her wet, pink tongue.

I swallowed dryly and turned away.

"I need a drink," I muttered.

"That's cool," Lily played along. "How about we go get some? My treat?"

I looked over my shoulder at her, and instantly went stiff. She had her hand down the front of her dress, feeling her breasts.

I looked into her eyes, but she had hers closed, moaning and twisting her body tauntingly as she pleasured herself.

I turned my head and stared at the clock. It was late. Rehearsals were over for the day. Everyone should be heading home by now... I stared motionlessly at the clock, watching the seconds tick away.

"One drink wouldn't hurt," I decided at last.

"Yes!" Lily grinned. She reached out and grabbed my hand and pulled me out the door.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning I awoke with a memory so vague that at first I thought it had been a dream. Then I sat up in bed and saw who laid beside me. Lily.

...

I drove her to the studio in silence, though she chattered the whole time about how funny it was that I forgot everything so easily, and how great I had been in bed.

"-I was so surprised, Mr Leroy!" She rambled on. "Usually guys your age are, you know, uptight pricks and what not. But you were surprisingly loose for a guy your age. No offence, I've done older, it's just-"

I gritted my teeth and tried to remain calm. I tried to convince myself it really had been a dream, and Lily being naked in my bed that morning was simply a prank.

I tried, but failed.

Everytime I closed my eyes, a vision would appear before my eyes; her sweaty, lusting body, my hands digging into her glossy hair, moaning, laughing.

Flashes of the sins of the night.

My hands sweated on the steering wheel.

When we made it to the studio, I told her to walk a few seconds behind me. I didn't want to arouse suspicion. I also didn't want to hear her speak anymore.

...

What other day could it have been except that one, for Nina to show her face at last?

...

I walked into the studio, my feet drawn to the flowing song of the Swan Queen. I was a bit confused to hear the song playing, since I knew Lily was still behind me somewhere. So in I went, and what I saw stopped my heart.

Nina.

My innocent White Swan.

My beautiful little princess.

She danced with the grace and flawlessness of an angel, completly absorbed by the music.

She twirled and hopped, her arms reaching up and slowly gliding down, hands framing her face. It was then that I noticed her eyes were closed. She was letting the music move her. Her feet pattered across the floor, desperate, exact. She threw out her arms and twirled with an invisable partner.

"Good morning," David said suddenly, nodding to me as he walked past. My stomach flipped at the sound of his voice. I looked at Nina, my heart hammering.

She slowed her twirling to a stop and opened her eyes.

Our eyes locked, and for a breathless moment it was only me and her in the room. The piano man stopped playing when Nina stopped dancing, but the music's soul lingered in the air, frozen in time as our hearts connected together in love.

I opened my mouth to speak, taking a shaky step towards her.

"Nina!" A shrill voice shattered the world to pieces, and I winced and whirled around.

Lily ran in the room, her long hair whipping against my face as she went by. Shame dropped coldly into my stomach.

"You're back! Hey!" Lily grabbed Nina and squeezed her into a tight hug. "So, where've ya been? How are you?"

My eyes suddenly felt dry, and I rubbed them, surprised to see how wet they were. I shook my head as I felt a headache pulsing behind my eyes. Dizziness spotted my vision with blackness, and I turned away and went down the long, empty hallways, back to my office.

...

I sat in my desk chair and crushed my face in my hands.

...

Nina glided into my office on a cloud of feathers, dressed as the White Swan.

"Thomas," she whispered, reaching her arms out to me.

I stood and went to her, reaching out my arms as well. Though she didn't move, she kept getting further away.

"Thomas," she repeated desperately.

I started running, my arms reaching as far as they could. It was as though I was running on a treadmill. Moving so quickly, yet getting nowhere.

"Thomas," she moaned. Horror clawed across my back as her eyes and nose began to bleed. The blood poured out more and more, staining the glistening white costume in crimson.

"Nina!" I cried, my legs beginning to ache. I forced myself to keep running.

She slumped to the ground, her costume instantly turning into the Black Swan.

Blood continued to pool out around her feet.

"Nina!" I jumped to her, but before I could touch her, she threw back her head.

Lily stared at me with blood-red eyes, her laughter filling the room with shadows.

"Mr Leroy!" She cried wickedly, her fingers reaching toward my neck like claws.

Something in her eyes terrified me, and I woke up, sweating and shaking all over.

...

"Mr Leroy?"

I wiped my face with my hands, standing up.

"Yes?"

The door opened, and David stood in it.

"Hey, can you tell me who's gonna be the Swan Queen?" He asked.

"Nina," I answered instantly.

"Yeah, well, Lily's much better at it." David began. "Sure, Nina's okay at the White one, but Lily is just so great at both. Plus she's had a lot more pratice, since Nina's been gone for, what, a week? I just think-"

"Enough, David!" I shouted suddenly, slamming my fist onto the desk.

He flinched and stared at me with a mixture of anger and surprise.

"Nina is the Swan Queen. Lily is her alternate. That's it." I told him firmly.

"Yeah, but Lily has-"

"I said that's it!" I snapped.

David frowned. "Fine, geeze..." He turned away. "Prick." He shut the door behind him.

I glared at the door for a full thirty seconds, breathing heavily through my nostrils, my body trembling with heat and rage. I looked down at my shaking hands, and all I could see as me holding onto Lily, pulling her towards me, kissing her neck.

"Fuck!" I shouted, punching the lamp on my desk. "_Fuck_!" I whirled around and kicked my chair over, then punched a picture on the wall, shattering the glass.

Still shaking, I sank to the floor, my back against the desk. My knuckles were bleeding but I didn't feel it. I hung my head between my knees in remorse, fighting back tears.

"I'm sorry, Nina," I whispered to the silence.


	6. Chapter 6

Days went by. I tried to distance myself from both Lily and Nina, though without success. They, along with David and all the other dancers, needed me. They needed my guidance. I could not let them down.

...

One afternoon, Nina was dancing her Black Swan routine. All the other swans were flowing in and out around her, rippling in time with her steps. All of them were in costume. The piano man played his part perfectly, encouraging everyone to do their best.

I sat in my chair by the bar, watching intently, my eyes wide and glowing with the sheer magnificence of it all.

Nina.

Her beauty outshined all the others. Though her steps were a bit too controlled and her arms flew out a bit stiff, I could still see in her the Black Swan yearning to be free.

Quite out of nowhere, Lily came in the room, dressed as the Black Swan as well. Without a word, she slipped into the dance routine with ease and began dancing as if she had been there the whole time. She glided effortlessly across the room, her long, flowing hair feathering out around her as she twirled.

Nina ignored her, continuing in her dance.

I found myself rather lost in my own world as I observed the two of them together. Never before had I thought of Nina's dancing as "poor," though, compared to Lily...

I stood up.

"Lily!" I interupted.

She turned towards me. "Huh?" She stopped short, causing Nina to run into her.

"Hey! Watch it, you bitch!" Lily snapped, shoving Nina off of her.

"S-sorry," Nina ducked her head and stepped away. The piano stopped playing, and the other swans stopped dancing. Everyone's eyes darted from me to Lily to Nina.

"Lily," I repeated, something stabbing in my stomach as I took a step towards her. "This is Nina's routine. I understand that you are her alternate, but you cannot dance with her like this. It is improper. You are a back-up for her. Not a replacement."

"It should be the other way around!" David put in. "Lily is just so much better than-"

"David!" I yelled. "Shut the fuck up!"

He didn't argue.

"Lily," I began again, my face feeling like it was on fire.

"Don't talk to David like that!" Lily retorted.

"Excuse me?" My eyes narrowed.

"David's a nice guy, unlike you, you prick!" Lily snarled, stepping up to me. "He's right, too. I_ am _better than your_ whore _over there. You're such an ass, giving Nina the Swan Queen title just because she won't sleep with you! You desperate son of a-"

Nina punched her in the jaw.

Lily's arms sprawled out in front of her, and she crashed heavily onto her side, her head knocking into the wooden floor.

My eyes locked onto Nina's face.

At last the Black Swan had found her evil, her jealously, her rage.

She lowered her shaking fist, clinching and unclinching her fingers at her side.

"All right, Nina!" A girl laughed, clapping her hands. No one else clapped, so the girl stopped and hid behind everyone else, blushing.

Lily raised her head, spitting blood at Nina's feet. "You bitch!" She hissed. "I'll kill you!" She pushed herself off the floor and stood, swaying on her feet. She raised her fists and stumbled at Nina, who backed away.

"Hey, hey," I stepped between them. "Enough." I stared at each of them in turn. "Lily, go change out of that costume."

Lily frowned, her eyes red and angry. She grumbled something about betrayal and began limping away.

"Oh, Lily, wait." I added.

She turned around. If she were a dog her ears would have been up and her tail would have been wagging.

"Don't forget this," I bent over and picked up the tiara, then tossed it to her.

She caught it, her face falling. She walked away, vanishing down the hallway.

I looked at Nina.

She hung her head in shame.

"I shouldn't have hit her. I'm sorry..." She whispered.

"No," I walked up to her. "Don't be. She deserved it." I smiled shyly. " Thank you."

She raised her eyes, confused.

"For defending me." I added, my eyes softening.

I took her hand in mine and raised it to my lips, kissing her already brusing knuckles.

"Now, my seductive Black beauty, shall we keep praticing?" I let her hand go and we both backed away from each other, her face lighting up.

I nodded towards the piano man, and he instantly began playing.

Soon everything was flowing wonderfully again, all the dancers moving as one like musicians in a grand orchestra.

Though I was able to keep the rehearsal running smoothly after that, I wasn't able to keep Lily from spreading rumors.


	7. Chapter 7

Every night I'd lie awake for hours, unable to tell if my eyes were open or closed; not that it mattered. Sleep wouldn't claim me until long after midnight, and even then it was a restless sleep, void of all dreams, leaving only darkness.

Waking up to my alarm, I would thrash myself out of the sheets only to slump five minutes later against the shower stall, trying to coax life back into my weary body by huddling under the icy cold spray. Numbness. I'd barely feel it.

I arrived later than usual to work one morning. A group of ballerinas were gathered together, surrounding Lily as if she were Jesus passing out bread and fish. But no, she was merely spitting out gossip, and the vultures at her feet cawed and widened their eyes, crying for more.

Lily was holding out her hands, demonstrating how small something was.

I came up behind them right as they started a hysterical fit of giggling.

"Lily!" i snapped.

The group stopped laughing by sucking in their breaths.

Lily turned around, her hair swirling in slow-motion after her. She batted her long, mascara-covered lashes and gave me an innocent smile.

"Yeah?" She asked, placing her long fingers against her wide hips.

"What are you doing?"

"Me?" She stared at me as if dumbfounded. "Nothing. Just telling a little joke, that's all." She shrugged.

"Tell me, I like jokes," I dared her, my voice darkening.

"Nah," She grinned at the girls behind her. "It wouldn't be appropriate." She turned back to me with steel in her eyes.

I stood staring her down for a moment before looking past her to the others.

"Go," I said at last. "All of you. You should be getting ready for pratice."

I walked away without another word, doing my best to pretend the hushed laughter behind me was my imagination.

...

I went to my office and sat at my desk.

I sat there staring at nothing. My eyes unfocused and my heart became slow and uneven. My limbs felt heavy as if I were sleeping. My ears felt fuzzy and I could no longer hear the clock ticking on the wall. My eyes ached so I closed them for a few seconds.

When I opened them again, I saw my cell phone on the desk, glowing softly, indicating I was getting a call.

As I reached for it, my hearing suddenly returned. I flinched when the wail of my ringtone pierced my ears. I snatched my phone with a snarl and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Thomas Leroy?"

"Yes?" I said, almost impatiently.

"Hi, this is Susane over at the hospital. I'm one of the nurses that has been taking care of Beth?"

My heart suddenly faltered, then quickened dramatically.

"Is she all right?" I asked, my mouth dry.

"Well, sir, that's why I'm calling. See, there was a complication during her reconstruc-"

"Is she all right?" I interupted loudly.

The woman hesitated. I heard her take a deep breath, then sigh it out into the phone.

"She-"

"Well?" I demanded.

"She didn't make it. I'm sorry, Mr Leroy."

I swallowed what tasted like acid in my mouth. The woman began speaking again, but I didn't hear her. I hung up, dropped the phone on my desk, and leaned back in my chair.

Beth... My stomach curled and my lungs tightened. I looked down at my hands, which gripped the armrests of the chair. They trembled anyway.

I closed my eyes and tears streamed down my cheeks.

"My... little princess..." I whispered, hanging my head.


	8. Chapter 8

I rolled my head against the back of my chair, groaning with gritted teeth. My fingernails bent back as they dug into the armrests.

Get a hold of yourself, I thought. Beth is gone, but she's been gone for quite some time. You knew her mind turned against her the day you chose Nina over her.

"So it's my fault," I said quietly.

No, it's not your fault. She was crazy.

Nina's face flashed into my mind, then Lily's.

I could taste them both on my lips.

"We're all crazy," I grinned, wiping the bitter tears from my eyes.

...

A few minutes later I forced myself to leave my office.

My pupils needed me, for that's all they were, right?

Just students who needed teaching. Just dumb sheep needing a shepherd.

Right.

They are lost without me. I have to go lead them.

...

I went into the studio and saw Nina, dressed as the White Swan, collapased against the bar, trembling and sobbing. Three girls stood around her, their anxiously spiteful faces loomed over her with sneering smiles.

Immediately I went to them, flinging out my arms and shoving the girls out of my way.

"What's going on here?" I demanded, glaring at each of them in turn.

Before they could speak, Nina screamed at me.

"How could you?" She cried, pushing herself to her feet.

"What?" I asked, taking a step back.

"Lily," She choked on her words and began to cry.

"Nina, dear, it's okay," I held out my arms, leaning down to comfort her. "What ever she said, we can-"

"You slept with her!" She shouted angrily, drool and snot flinging from her face.

I froze.

My eyes darted to the three girls who still stood around me.

Their eyes were their betrayers. Lily had told them.

"Leave us!" I hissed at them.

They looked at each other before running out of the studio.

"Nina," I knelt down in front of her. "You must understand, I was not in my right mind when I did that."

She stood up suddenly, towering over me with her glistening white feathers.

I raised my eyes to hers.

"I thought you cared about me. I thought I was special," She glared at me. "But I guess that's just what you wanted me to think. Just like Beth. I was just your puppet."

With a rush of sorrow at her name, my heart twisted as I remembered Beth was dead.

I struggled to stand up. "No, Nina. I-"

"Just stop!" She snapped. "I don't want to do this anymore." She grabbed her feathers and began ripping them off her costume, flinging them recklessly into the air.

As I watched the feathers drift on the air-conditioned breeze I noticed a crowd had gathered in the studio. They watched our performance with wide, silent eyes. Lily's face stood out among the crowd, but when our eyes met, she ducked away and disappeared.

"Nina, please-" I straightened up and reached out towards her.

"Don't touch me!" She swatted my hands away. "I'm quitting the Swan Lake." She ripped the tiara from her hair and threw it at my feet.

"I'm through being under your control," She said venomously. She spun around and left the studio.

"Nina!" I called desperately, reaching into the empty air. But she didn't turn back, and she didn't answer my cry.

A little feather landed on my sleeve. I raised my arm to my face and stared at, but when I exhailed, it flew away with a rush.


	9. Chapter 9

The recital was in two weeks.

My Swan Queen was gone.

...

The next day, Nina didn't show up to rehearsal, which I figured she wouldn't.

Neither did Lily.

I gave everyone some meager instructions, letting them practice the things they had memorized long ago, and told them to keep at it until I returned.

They nervously obeyed me, and not even David argued. They had seen the soul-crushing effect I had on people. All they had to do was look at Beth, who was now dead, at Nina, who had given up on her dreams, and Lily, who was decending into jealous madness.

I went to Nina's apartment that early afternoon.

Her mother answered the door.

"What do you want?" She asked suspiciously.

"I'm here to see Nina," I said lightly. "My name is Thomas L-"

She slapped my hand down when I extended it, and I forgot my last name. I flapped my lips for a second, not knowing what to say.

"Now I won't have you coming in here disturbing my child while she's unwell," She said huffingly. "Nina's quit that pageant of yours and it's for the best. I've always been telling her that place wasn't good for her. You standing here is a prime example of that." She looked me up and down with one eye, her face gnarled up in a scowl.

"Please, if you'll just let me-"

"No!" She cried. "You're not going to come in here and stir up anymore trouble. We've had enough of you and your kind. Leave us alone!"

With that, she slammed the door in my face.

I stood there listening to the locks click and slide in place. I heard the woman walk away from the door, so I turned and did the same.

...

As I drove back to the studio, my thoughts raged within me.

Nina was gone. It was Lily's fault, but also my own.

I told Lily I would kick her out of Swan Lake if she told her, but with Nina gone, Lily was the only alternate as the Swan Queen.

If Nina truely wasn't coming back, I had to use Lily. There was no possible way I could train another dancer to be the Swan Queen in two weeks.

But Lily... What if she double-crossed me? What if, during the performance, she grabbed a microphone, got everyone's attention, and told them I slept with her?

Surely her parents, watching with proud glowing eyes, would scream with anguish, climb the stage, and try to kill me?

Mobs would come after me. Sleeping with children! How repulsive!

Lily was, indeed, young enough to be my daughter. As was nearly everyone in the Swan Lake.

I would never be allowed to teach again.

It's not like I wanted to sleep with Lily...

Well, maybe a part of me did, but I was lonely and depressed. I was under a lot of stress.

Beth is dead and Nina's quit. All that's left is Lily.

I have no choice.

Suddenly the life of a dance instructor doesn't seem so bright.

I pulled into the studio parking-lot and parked the car. I sat staring at the little green digital clock attached to the radio, watching the minutes blip silently away.

...

"Hey," Lily cooed, gliding over to me. "Are you all right?"

I let the door shut behind me as I walked into the studio. I wrinkled my forehead at her behavior as she came over and place a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"Fine, why?" I asked, confused.

"I heard about what happened to Beth. So sad..." She sighed wistfully as if speaking of a flower in a garden. "Are you sure you're okay?"

I blinked at her. "How did you find out?"

"Beth was my friend too," She said , her eyes wide and tearful.

She came closer to me and pressed her breasts against my chest, tucking her head in the crook of my neck. I stood there feeling quite awkward until I realized, as her thin, slithery arms wound around my back, that she was hugging me.

With her head so close to my face, I could pratically taste her perfume. She smelled delicious. Her body was warm and tightly pressed against mine. My hands slowly found her back and gently squeezed her for a few seconds.

Then I just had to let go.

She crushed me suddenly, letting out a happy sigh, before releasing me. She beamed up at me.

I stared at her, my body tingling. My fingers twitched, wanting to hold her again. As strange as she was, my body desired her.

I swallowed a mouthful of dry saliva and cleared my throat.

"So are you sure you're okay?" Lily asked insistantly, puppy-dogging me with her eyes.

"Yes," I said unconvincingly, my voice having lost its strength.

She smiled sadly at me and took my hand.

My reflexes almost jerked away from her, but then her thumb grazed softly over the back of my hand, and I felt like purring.

"Please," I forced out, pulling my hand from hers. "Let's just get ready for practice."

I started walking away, but then my thoughts threw up out of my mouth.

"You're going to be the new Swan Queen," I said.

My body froze with a shudder.

Lily is going to be the Swan Queen, I repeated in my mind, where that thought should have stayed.

Her little feet padded across the floor as she skipped after me.

"Really? You mean Nina's not coming back?" She asked excitedly.

I hesitated, not knowing what to say, then I walked away without answering.

As much as I wanted her to come back, it didn't seem likely that she ever would.


	10. Chapter 10

I walked to the rehearsal room with Lily right at my side, our hands swaying so close together we might as well have been holding hands. I could feel her excitement, her sheer sun-shining joy. I was not so thrilled, dragging my feet with slow deliberation. My thoughts strayed to Nina, and my mood turned bitter and grey.

A crowd gathered within three minutes after I called for everyone to come forth, that I had an announcement.

Lily grabbed onto my arm and hung on tight like a child, pressing herself against me with warmth and trembling anticipation.

They all stared at the pair of us with wary curiousity, silent and mystified.

I cleared my throat and said again; "I have an announcement."

My eyes flicked from face to face, searching, with the last rays of hope that I had, that Nina would appear the instant before I made the announcement, but... My eyes strained to see the dancers in the back of the room, but I did not see her.

Perhaps, I thought, if I stall for a few minutes, she'll show up...

"Tell them," Lily whispered eagarly, tugging on my arm.

I blinked back into reality, looking sideways down at the girl clinging onto me. I stared at her quietly for a second before addressing the crowd.

"Nina has left the pageant. Lily, as her alternate, will take Nina's place as Swan Queen." My voice came out so bland, so automatic, I sounded almost inhuman.

No one seemed to notice, especially not above Lily's screams.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She cried, flinging her body against mine and constricting me in a hug. I patted her half-heartedly on back, but then she shoved away from me and ran to David, who caught her as she ran and spun her up into the air.

Laughing, clapping, cheering. All her friends and former enemies gathered around to congratulate Lily, as if she had accomplished something grand.

Why were they so much more excited to see Lily as the Swan Queen? I wondered spitefully. Surely they, too, could see Nina's grace and potiential? Yes, she was shy and soft-spoken, but weren't we all when we first started? Lily had been working at this for years, yet I had never seen someone stand out on their first dance like Nina had when she practiced for me.

"Why can't they see it?" I asked softly as I turned away from the cheers.

But now it's too late. No one will ever see.

I went to my office and shut the door behind me.

...

Days trickled away. I counted them down: Twelve days. Eleven days. Ten days. Nine.

I watched Lily and David perform their routine as Swan Queen and Prince without much enthusiasm.

Lily had her steps down perfectly, and she moved with the grace of a deer bouncing across a valley. Such laughter in her soul. All the Swans and other dancers moved around her, struggling to hide their grins. David and Lily swam like fish through the air together. Beautifully, flawlessly. Their eyes expressing their determination, their passion, their love.

Despite their perfection of the dance routine, my heart turned to stone against them. Nina would have been better, I scorned in my mind, though, I knew, deep down, that Lily was the propper choice.

...

A feather brushed against my nose, and I flinched.

Lily laughed, a sound like wind-chimes in the breeze.

She spun in a circle and waved her feathered arms out at her sides.

"How do I look?" She asked, rocking her hips in a sinful dance, battering her black-rimmed eyes.

The Black Swan stood before me, complete. I looked her up and down before pushing myself to my feet. She bounced up and down on her toes, her eyes squinting with her expectant smile.

"Splendid," I answered.

She ducked her head as if embarressed, and curtsied, fanning out her glistening black feathers.

"Why, thank you," she giggled.

I sat back down and turned my head away from her, disgusted by her falseness.

She didn't notice, for an instant later, David snuck up behind her and tickled her sides.

"There you are!" He said loudly.

She screamed and he grabbed her around the waist. She kicked and swung her arms playfully, laughing and squeeling, while he carried her to middle of the room.

He set her on her feet and caught her by the arms. They spun around in a giggling circle until the pianist came and began to play, then David and Lily slipped easily into their dance.

I stared at them for nearly an hour before I left without a word.


	11. Chapter 11

One week left.

We began practicing on the stage, which was all set up for opening night.

The backdrop of the stone gates was in place, the chandeliers hung glistening and white from the ceiling, the lights dimmed away to next to nothing in the orchestra, where they stood with their various intruments, waiting for my signal.

My eyes, dark and cold, darted around the room, watching as everyone took their places. Lily pranced over to the stage and David bowed dramatically before taking her outstretched hands and helping her up. The White Swan and her Prince. They started whispering and giggling to each other, and I, sitting in the front row, felt my stomach cringe with embitterment. I shook my head slightly and stood, clapping my hands for attention.

"All right everyone," I said loudly.

My chest swelled as all eyes turned towards me. I clasped my hands together.

"We have one week until opening night," I began walking forward, making sure to stare at each and every person. "Now, you all have been doing marvelous," I stepped up onto the stage and turned in a slow circle. "But we need to make sure there will be no mistakes. One pebble out of place can cause a whole mountain to fall, yes?"

Heads bobbed. A few murmered agreeably.

"Okay," I nodded, turning my back to the stage. I inhailed deeply through my mouth before letting it ease out through my nostrils.

"Begin," I told the orchestra. I hopped down from the stage and the violins began to weep as the pianos drew closer and closer.

...

That night I drempt of a gorgeous white swan. I was sitting on a bench by a black lake, watching her as she floated on the water.

Though her body seemed frail, I could sense that there was great power within her.

She waved her glossy wings, beating them tirelessly against the water in an effort to fly. Yet... her body would not rise above the water. She raised her long neck and cried out in distress. I thought I should go help her, but in my dream I realized I could not swim. Then her thick, feathered body began slipping down into the dark water.

"No, wait!" I shouted, standing up and running to the water's edge.

The swan let out a horrible, gutteral moan, and she flapped her wings harder and harder so that feathers flew away from them like snow. The water pulled her still, and as her wings became engulfed in the blackness and she became unable to fight it, her head turned towards me.

Silently our eyes met. My heart froze in time and weightlessness swept over me, yet I could not move. The swan stared at me, her eyes so full of emotion they were almost human.

As she sank down into the depths, a twisting of shame clinched my stomach. I had to look away from her as her head slipped quietly beneath the water.

I opened my eyes to four short knocks on my front door. I laid there, disoriented and groggy from my dream.

I sat up in bed after the third round of knocking and looked at the time. It was almost two in the morning.

I shoved back the covers and stood, grabbing the pair of pants that I had tossed on the bed the day before, having been too lazy to put them away.

Flipping on lights as went, I stifled a yawn on the way to the front door, my rough bare feet scuffing lightly against the floor.

Four more knocks at the door.

I combed my hair back with my fingers and unlocked the door.

"Yes?" I asked shortly, jerking it open.

She was wearing blue jeans and a gray long-sleeved sweat-shirt that was too big for her, a black bag slung over her shoulder. Her hair was tucked back underneath a gray beanie hat. On her feet were ragged and torn ballet slippers. Her dark eyes raise to meet mine.

"Nina," my voice came out in a whisper.

She ducked her head and slid one foot backwards, as if planning to leave. I pushed the door open all the way and take a small step towards her, my heart trembling inside of me.

"Nina, why are-"

Suddenly she's in my arms, and for a moment I lost myself as my hands tucked around her back. Her chest was thin and bony; I felt her ribs distinctly as she pressed against me with desperation. Her bag thumped to the ground. Her arms squeezed into my bare back like ropes.

But she was warm. She was here. She was safe, now.

I closed my eyes and an unexpected tear fell from my eye and landed on her hat.

I held her for as long as she wanted to be held. It could have been seconds, it could have been minutes. It felt like I held her for an eternity, but when she pulled away at last it suddenly felt way too short.

She lowered her gaze and wiped her eyes with the palm of her hand. I searched her face but to no avail. She didn't even appear upset.

"Nina..." I tried again. "Why ar-"

"Can I stay the night?" She asked suddenly.

Her question caught me off guard, but only for an instant.

"Of course," I inclined my head slightly. I stared into her eyes for answers, but her eyes were vacant; empty.

"You can take my bed," I told her easily. "I'll sleep on the couch. The bedroom's right through there..." My voice faded away as she snatched her bag from the floor and walked past me without another word.

I turned on my heel, watching quietly as she went down the hall and locked herself in my room.

I closed my mouth, wondering how long it had been hanging open, and shut the front door.


	12. Chapter 12

My heart's beating slowly went back to normal. I went to the living room and sat on the couch in a daze.

Nina... she has come back to me, I thought, a feeling of giddiness washing over me, making me light-headed.

But why?

Suddenly my ears picked up a strange, tinkling sound.

My legs straightened and my feet moved on their own accord, drawn to the sound.

I paused at my bedroom, pressing my ear gently to the cool wood of the door.

Music...

My hand slipped down and my fingers curled around the door knob.

Such a childish melody...

I tested the knob and found it unlocked. Very carefully, I eased it open just a crack.

Nina stood in front of my dresser, a music box open with a tiny ballerina dancing inside it. Nina twirled and danced in time with the music's carefree tune, bringing grace and beauty and sadness to something meant to be pure and innocent.

Her pants discarded on the bed, Nina danced in her sweatshirt and panties, her ballet shoes tied firmly on her feet. Feet that moved as easily as a fish through the water.

My heart flew up and stuck to the roof of my mouth. So choked was I by a sudden rush of emotions that I had no control over my actions.

At one moment I stood spying in the crack of light from the door, the next moment I was standing a foot behind Nina, my arms winding around and down her as she danced.

My body surrendered to the passionate urge of her dance as I joined in with her. She accepted me flawlessly, bending back so I could support her and taking my hand so we could twirl.

Together in the dim light of my bedroom, we danced to the gentle lullaby of a music box.

...

She danced until her ankle twisted out from under her, and I caught her as she fell sideways. She cursed under her breath, sitting down in the floor. I sat down with her, but she slapped away my hands when I tried to take her foot.

"It's all right, Nina," I told her softly.

She turned to me with disgust in her eyes.

Above us, on the dresser, the music slowed to a halt as the ballerina ceased her dance on a lingering, unfinished note.

So sudden was the silence that the room filled with a coldness that had nothing to do with the temperature.

I swallowed an uneasy feeling, looking down.

"What has happened to you, my sweet princess?" I asked timidly, taking her hand in mine. I raised my eyes to hers and we stared at one another.

Her eyes searched mine with a kind of forced anger, until at last her face crumpled with despair and she turned away. She began to sob, her back trembling with misery.

I slid closer to her, sitting up on my knees. I whispered "Nina," and wrapped my arms around her.

She leaned into my chest and I held her as she cried.

"Nina, come now," I insisted lightly. "Why are you crying?" I smoothed her hair back with my hand.

"You betrayed me," she said through her convulsive sobs.

A flash of Lily rippled through my gut. Shame brought tears to my eyes as I knew her words were true. I shook my head anyway.

"Nina, I'm sorry, I-"

"You replaced me with Lily just like you replaced Beth with me!" She said heatedly, pushing away from me.

I sat in a dark puddle as she stood and towered over me, swaying a bit on unsteady, emotional legs.

"Nina," I pushed myself up. "I could never repla-"

"But you did!" She yelled, shoving me in the chest. I stumbled backwards and my back hit into the footboard of my bed.

"No, Nina," I straightened up. "I... I may have replaced Beth, but..." I went to her and took her by the shoulders. My heart was beating like mad. "I could never replace you," I said desperately.

Her eyes filled with dark moisture but when she tried to look away I took her chin in my hand and held her gaze.

"Just say the word," I began. "and you will have it all-"

Without warning, her lips were against mine in a furious frenzy. Her hands gripped into my hair and pulled me closer, tighter against her body.

My hands trembled as I held onto her back, my chest heaving with excitement. My eyes closed and our lips parted, inviting each other in. Our tongues danced together and explored each other's mouths in a sweet, yet sorrowful masquerade.

Her fingers knotted against my bare back, trailing down and seizing my jeans. She jerked me into her, pulling our hips together as her lips continued to suck and mourn over mine.

My body vibrated with desire and my breath came as hesitant gasps. I turned my face away from her lips, resting against her shoulder. "Fuck," I whispered into her hair as she kissed my neck.

This was what I wanted all along, I thought. Why am I trying to resist?

Then her hands reached over her shoulders and she began wiggling off her sweatshirt, and I could resist no more.


	13. Chapter 13

I felt like a dream.

I had not been with a woman so passionately in a long, long time.

Long after she fell asleep against my chest, I laid awake, gazing at her. I watched the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed, her small, delicate breasts puffing in and out in response.

Her thin, bare ribs sent a cold chill down my back. The way her pale skin pulled at her bones seemed as if she were a mere skeleton, breathing its last breath.

I wanted to take her in my arms and hold her tightly against me, but I did not want to wake her. Instead I found myself combing my fingers through her soft, dark hair.

With my other hand, I reached over us and took the blanket, pulling it up to her shoulders. She sighed softly through her nose but did not wake.

I watched her eyelids, the way her eyes rolled and shuddered beneath them, and I wondered if she could hear my heart-beat, if she could hear how deeply I had fallen for her.

...

That morning I woke up and she was not beside me.

My eyes flicked to the dresser, and I saw her music box was gone. I leapt quickly out of bed and marched through my bedroom, but then I stumbled against something. I looked down and saw her black shoulder bag laying in the floor.

My fingers reached for it with temptation, longing to see what she had in there. But I just picked it up and placed it on the dresser, then left the bedroom.

"Nina?"

I wandered into the living room, but she was not there. I made my way to the kitchen, but didn't find her. I checked the front door, and saw it was still locked. She couldn't have left unless she took the keys with her, I realized.

My feet carried me back to the bedroom, and I went straight into the master bathroom.

My medicine cabinet was open. A bottle of pills on the counter. A glass of water sitting in the sink.

Ice twisted its way into my stomach.

"Nina," I whispered hoarcely, rushing to the bathtub and jerking back the curtain. Nothing in there but soap scum.

"Nina!" I yelled desperately, my heart threatening to gag me.

Suddenly, faintly, I heard a toilet flush.

I sprinted out of the bathroom, through my bedroom and down the hall to the second bathroom. My hands reached for the doorknob but I stopped short when it turned on its own.

Nina walked out, nearly bumping into me.

"Oh, sorry," she blushed, ducking her head shyly.

When I grabbed her my hands were shaking. I wrapped my arms around her and held her, and my emotions cracked loose of their control. I began to weep, my body shaking all over as I held her against me, hot tears running down my face.

"Thomas," she said softly, her voice confused. Yet she graciously hugged me back.

"My darling, Nina," I whispered when my sobbing abated.

I slid down to my knees in front of her, and fear flashed through her eyes. I held her gently, my hands resting on her hips. I gazed up into her dark, wet eyes.

"I love you."

That fear returned to her eyes when my words struck her eardrums. She slid backwards out of my hands and leaned against the wall.

I reached for her hand, but she raised it to her chest so I could not reach, her eyes narrow with suspicion and distrust.

Dejected, I got to my feet.

"That's what you told Beth, isn't it?" She asked bitterly.

"Beth is dead, Nina," I retorted bluntly.

She stiffened and her eyes searched by face, widening as she found it to be true. Her face paled dramatically.

"How?"

"Her surgery didn't go as planned," I muttered.

"Oh..."

Her tone was off. I raised my eyes at her and saw a perplexed look of relief wash over her face. Something in her expression made me angry. Why would she be relieved to know Beth's surgery went wrong? I shrugged it away as best as I could.

"It doesn't matter what I told Beth, because whatever I told her it was to keep her happy. I never lov-" My voice broke as I tried to lie. I forced myself to swallow the dry lump in my throat. "I never loved Beth," I finished weakly.

She stared at me for a moment before accepting my lie as truth.

"I love you," I added, stepping towards her.

She smiled sadly and allowed me to take her hand, which I kissed gently.

"But... Lily-"

"I love _you, _Nina." I insisted. "Lily was a stumbling block. Nothing more than a evil Black Swan."

"And I am just the innocent foolish White Swan?"

"No, Nina," I took her face in my hands. "You are my Swan Queen."

She turned her face away.

"What if I don't want to be?" She asked softly.

I hesitated, taken aback.

"What do you mean?" I had to ask.

"I quit Swan Lake," she reminded me.

"That is not an issue. It would only take one word from me and Lily would give her spot back to you-"

"I quit Swan Lake," she repeated.

I stared at her.

"You don't want to be in it anymore?" I asked after a high-tensioned silence.

"No," she said firmly, gaging my reaction.

I pinched my lips as my thoughts raged within my mind.

Nina... after coming back, wants to leave as if she never had endeavored to be a dancer? She wants to throw away everything she has worked for for so long? Why, White Swan, why? Why throw away your life when your dream is waiting beyond the velvet curtain? Embrace the Black Swan in you and seize your dream before it slips away!

"You can't quit, Nina," I said suddenly.

Her eyes darkened spitefully. "Yes, I can."

"No, because I won't let you. Lily has seduced me, stolen your role, and taken over Swan Lake. She has turned your own dreams against you. You cannot let her do this to you."

"Y-yes, I can," she repeated uncertainly.

"My sweet Nina," I cooed, brushing a tear from her eye. "Do not be so afraid." I stared deeply into her eyes. "I am here with you."

I said nothing for a moment, debating whether or not I should ask, but I did anyway.

"Do you love me?"

Tears whelled in her eyes, and her lips trembled when she spoke.

"Yes."

I forced my smile to be small, my heart screaming with pleasure in my chest.

I said, "Good," and took her by the hands. "My love, you must do this for me. You must come with me to rehearsal this evening and you must claim your title back."

Her eyes fell down, avoiding mine.

"Nina, please. Make this sacrifice for your Prince, and I will never ask another thing from you."

Nina looked into my eyes and I looked into hers.

"Okay," she said submissively.

"That's a good girl," I said happily, kissing her tenderly on the forehead. She stood there quietly and let me kiss on her, her thin body rigid and almost cold, but I hardly noticed.


	14. Chapter 14

The drive to the studio was a quiet one.

Nina, with her black bag in her lap, sat as stiff and silent as a corpse in the passenger seat.

I cast side-ways glances at her, trying to lighten the mood a bit by smiling amiably and patting her on the knee.

She looked over at me when I touched her, as if I had asked a question she had not understood.

The blood curdled in my veins and my heart grew cold at her expression. I put my hand back on the steering wheel and watched the road.

A lifetime later, we arrived at the studio.

I got out quickly and went around the car to her side, opening the door.

Nina wouldn't look at me. She slung her legs out and hopped from the car, striding past me with her bag over her shoulder.

"Nina," I pleaded, shutting the door and hurrying after her.

She stopped abruptly and I nearly ran into her. She turned curtly around to face me.

I swallowed. "Nina, listen. I know what you must be feeling, but-"

"You have no idea what I'm feeling," she told me darkly. She whirled back around and marched to the doors of the building.

I caught up to her and snatched her by the arm before she could open the doors. I stood in front of her, blocking the door, and released her arm.

"Nina," I tried again, my heart fluttering excitedly. "Are you sure you want to face her? Does the title "Swan Queen" mean that much to you?"

"You're the one that told me to do this," she spat out venomously.

I was floored only for a moment. "Yes, because I know you have worked so hard for it. _You _deserve it, not Lily. I only hope you realize that, too."

"You're right," Nina replied softly. "Lily doesn't deserve it. But she will get what she deserves."

I smiled. "Very good, Nina!" I praised her. Impluse took over and I cupped my hands around her face and kissed her on the forehead. "There's my Black Swan."

...

We went inside the studio. Nina strode ahead of me purposefully, a plan already set in her mind.

My own plan was quite different, though I thought at the time they were the same.

Nina would go in the studio and demand that Lily give back her title, if not, they would have a little contest, a dance-off, if you will. Of course, I would be the judge. The winner gets the crown. I had slept with both of them, now, so no one could claim that I picked favorites.

The pianist played the Black Swan's song, echoing tantalizingly down the hallways. It swelled up inside of me, filling me with longing and desire, yet left me with an emptiness of regret as if I had lost something dear to me.

A few yards in front of me, Nina walked steadily. I gazed after her and my stomach clinched with sadness, as if I would never see her again.

I walked faster as she entered the rehearsal room without me, breaking out into a run so I could catch everyone's reactions.

Lily and David, the Black Swan and the Prince, danced to the maestro's temptational melody. Herds of softer, floatier swans glided and sprang into the air around them, feathers swishing almost soundlessly as they twirled.

I crept into the room on silent paws, the breath catching in my lungs as my eyes took in the spectical.

Nina slowed down yet kept walking as she took her bag off her shoulder and reached into it.

Out of it, she pulled a gun.

The dancers did not notice. All they could see were blurs of colors and smears of faces.

"Nina!" I called, rushing towards her. But the music was too loud. My voice was swallowed up like sand on a shore.

Nina stopped walking and raised the gun to the ceiling, firing once.

Girls screams tore away the happiness of the room, the roar of the gun shaking the very fibers of the atomosphere. Dancers threw themselves to the ground and others stood looking around with wide eyes and striken expressions. The pianist stopped abruptly.

Lily and David held onto each other and turned to the source of the noise as flakes of the ceiling trickled down to the polished floor.

"What the hell?" Lily yelled loudly, then her voice dropped as she saw who held the gun.

"Nina?"

The ballerinas and other dancers could tell this was not about them. They began backing away to various exits, grabbing their bags and running away with their cell phones.

Nina slowly lowered the gun from the air and held it straight, pointing directly at Lily. I was amazed at how steady her aim was.

David hesitated before ducking cowardously away from Lily and sprinting all-out to the exit.

Seeing the dark determination in Nina's eyes, Lily flew into desperation and her eyes darted around the room until they found mine. She pleaded at me for help, her eyes wide, helpless, and deep as the sea at midnight.

I ran up and caught Nina around the waist, pulling her arms down by her sides. She struggled and screamed.

"Let me go!" She tried to head-butt me, she legs thrashing wildly as her heels pounded into my shins. Suddenly she elbowed me in the gut, and my grip loosened as pain sent a wave of fire and nausea into my stomach.

She shoved away from me, her eyes fixed on Lily as she tried to sneak away. Nina raised the gun again, but I caught her by the wrist and twisted her hand down. She pulled the trigger out of reflex and, with a thunderous cry, a bullet snagged into the floor before richocheting into a mirror, shattering it instantly.

More screams bit into the air.

A sort of coldness came over me, mixed with sweat and fear, as I finally took the gun from Nina.

She tripped on her own feet and fell to the floor, trembling with rage. She reached up towards me, her fingers flexing around empty air, like an infant wanting a bottle. She was asking for the gun.

You're no longer my Nina, I thought sadly, turning away.

"You're one crazy-ass bitch, Nina!" Lily yelled at her, feeling bold now that the gun was out of Nina's hands.

Nina stood up slowly, the shattered mirror across the room reflecting her in a thousand different ways. She rubbed her elbow absently, walking over to me.

I warily kept the gun out of her reach as she came towards me, my body twitching and my heart racing with adrenaline. She pressed her cheek into my shoulder and wrapped her arms around me. Almost instantly my shirt sleeve soaked in her warm tears.

My hand moved on it's own, crawling under her hair, finding the soft, delicate skin on the back of her neck. My fingers cupped gently around her neck, the baby-soft flush of hairs tickling lightly against my skin. In this tender manner, I hugged her against me, my eyes closing involuntarily as silence settled peacefully within me, the warmth of her scent lulling me into a stupor.

_Nina... _

Noise returned with a vengance. My eyes flew open as Nina jerked the gun from me and shoved me hard. I stumbled and almost fell, but someone caught me from behind and steadied me. I glanced at the person, but I did not recognize them.

My eyes swept around the room and with a crazied animalistic jolt I realized I didn't recognize anyone except Nina and Lily. Everyone else was just ghostly pale faces with wide, black pools for eyes.

Something is wrong, here, I thought. Why can't I remember these people, my own students? No. It doesn't matter, I shook it off. They're not important right now.

My eyes steadied and locked onto Nina, who was running after Lily in a bizarre, almost comical cat-and-mouse chase, the gun swinging dangerously after her.

"Stop it, Nina!" Lily screamed. "If this is about your title, take it. I don't want it! It's all yours! Just stop, please!"

Nina ignored her, firing once right past Lily's ear. Lily yelped and clasped her hands to her ears, stunned momentarily. Nina marched to her, fingers twitching around the trigger.

I sprinted to Nina and threw myself in front of her, flinging my arms constrictingly around her.

"Stop this, Nina," I whispered helplessly into her hair. She punched and kicked and her head connected into my nose. Blood began to roll out, hot and wet and heavy with the scent of copper. My vision sparkled with flashes of red and white as the pain from my nose subsided.

My arms held tightly around her. I would not let her go. Desperately, Nina twisted against my body and suddenly the gun went off into my chest.

Fiery, glorious. Pain exploded and curled inside of me, setting my lungs into panic-mode as they began filling with blood. I let out a struggled gagging cough and my arms fell lifelessly away from Nina.

I slipped down to my knees, my hands shaking as they caught me from falling head-first into the floor. Red like strawberry jam and, for a strange reason, equally as lumpy, my blood bubbled out of my clothes from an unseen hole and spread out before me on the floor. I stared down into the blood, seeing myself reflected darkly in it.

She must have hit my nose harder than I thought, I decided lazily, my mind full of watery haze.

Nina turned to me in slow-motion, her wide, innocent eyes flooding with regret and sorrow.

Nina... This is all my fault, I tried to say. "I'm so sorry," I managed to tell her. _So sorry..._ I slipped down onto my side, body spasming as it flooded itself from the inside.

With her terrified eyes locked onto mine, Nina raised the gun to her head. Though it was the gentle and kind White Swan that stared out at me from behind her tearful eyes, it was the Black Swan that pulled the trigger.

**The End.**


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